Domestic aviation travel surpasses 2019 peak

CAAV said in the first half, the industry recorded 3.3 million passengers, up 74.2 per cent over the same period in 2021 and equal to 60 per cent over the same period in 2019, of which the domestic market reached 20.8 million passengers, up 58.4 per cent over the same period last year and 12 per cent over the same period in 2019.

The administration said the total commodity market reached 651,000 tonnes, an increase of 6.8 per cent over the same period in 2021 and an increase of 7 per cent over the same period in 2019, of which the domestic market reached 146,900 tonnes, 3.6 per cent over the same period in 2021 and down 29 per cent over the same period in 2019.

In the domestic market, Vietnamese airlines transported 20.78 million passengers, up 60 per cent over the same period last year, an increase of 12 per cent over the same period in 2019.

At the same time, international flights reached approximately 1 million passengers, an increase of 1351.5 per cent over the same period in 2021 and a decrease of 88.3 per cent over the same period in 2019.

As of June 30, 2022, local airlines, including Vietnam Airlines, Vasco, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines and Vietravel Airlines, operated nearly 60 domestic routes connecting Ha Noi, Da Nang and HCM City with 19 local airports.

Local airlines were promoting the exploitation of routes to tourist destinations such as Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Phu Quoc, and Nha Trang. For example, the current operating frequency to/from Phu Quoc reached 100 domestic flights per day, while the rate for international and domestic flights reached only 72 per day.

Đinh Việt Sơn, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, said the domestic market started to recover in April 2022, grew again in May 2022 and experienced strong growth in June 2022.

Accordingly, the domestic market in June 2022 reached 5 million visitors, an increase of 20.9 per cent compared to May 2022 and an increase of 38.8 per cent compared to June 2019, the peak summer month before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Calculating the seat occupancy rate on domestic routes in June 2022, CAAV said: "The domestic aviation market has completely recovered and has strong growth in the second quarter of 2022."

For the international aviation market, there are more than 30 foreign airlines and four airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways and Pacific Airlines, operating 96 international routes connecting Vietnam with 21 countries/territories.

Vietnamese airlines have operated 68 international routes to 16 countries/territories. The current markets have been and are being gradually implemented by Vietnamese and foreign airlines to increase the frequency and reopen/open new routes.

According to the administration the Indian market is potentially new for Vietnam's tourism. Vietjet Air, Vietnam Airlines and India's IndiGo and Spice Jet have resumed flights to India.

Vietjet Air has been granted air transport rights to exploit more than 20 new routes from points in the country such as Ha Noi, HCM City, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc to new destinations in India such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Gaya and, at the same time, will increase the frequency of flights to Delhi and Mumbai from July 2022.

The Singapore market has gradually increased frequency by Vietnamese and Singaporean airlines on routes between Singapore and Ha Noi and HCM City, and at the same time opening new routes connecting Da Nang and Nha Trang in the summer of 2022.

With the Korean market, in addition to the increasing frequency of routes between Seoul and Ha Noi/HCM City, Korean airlines such as Air Seoul, Air Busan, Korean Air and Vietjet Air have gradually exploited them, with flights to Busan, Korea, and Da Nang and Nha Trang from June 2022.

The Malaysian market will have more operations of Vietjet Air on three new routes from Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Nha Trang to Kuala Lumpur from July 2022.

Another positive signal is that the Chinese Government is gradually opening the door to passenger flights into China, initially, Vietnam Airlines has two flights/per week to carry passengers between the two countries.

A leader of CAAV told local media: "Up to now, the international market is gradually recovering, but the recovery rate is still low because many countries and regions, especially Northeast Asian countries, are still applying regulations and policies on travel restrictions for the prevention of COVID-19."